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The
Man and the Dance Teacher
One
night a salesman was sleeping when music and dancing, from the
apartment above, woke him. Agitated, he paced the floor for hours
until the music and dancing stopped. Night after night his sleep
was disturbed. Without effect, he yelled, hit the ceiling, and
left a note on his neighbor's mailbox. After a long week, the
angry salesman went upstairs and pounded on his neighbor's door.
"What
is it?" a woman asked, as she opened the door.
"You
have to stop this noise," the man replied. "I have
not been able to sleep all week."
"I'm
sorry. I can't," the woman said. "I have to give dance
lessons at night to support myself."
"Then
I am going to the landlord," he said.
"Don't
do that," she said. "Come in here. I will give you
free dance lessons." Then she grabbed the right arm of the
salesman, who was too lethargic to resist. The salesman hesitated,
but then the rhythm of the music invaded him, and he started
dancing. Hour after hour he danced, losing all track of time,
and then he slept without interruption until morning. And from
that night forward, the man danced for hours, filling his spirit
with energy, and the peaceful sleep he got was all that he needed.
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